Hey Real Estate Agents, Direct Mail Works. Really!

67% of Americans feel traditional mail is more personal than Internet communications, according to research from the U.S. Postal Service. Because personal connections are so critical to your success as a real estate agent, traditional mail could be an effective part of your marketing strategy.

Plus, people like getting mail. A study by InnoMedia revealed that 56% of Americans say receiving mailis a pleasure. It’s true – a pleasure.

But the biggest reason why direct mail is worth at least considering is that it may not, in fact, be more expensive than marketing online. One of our clients spends about $1,500 a month on Google AdWords. For half that he could send a series of three direct mail postcards to every FSBO and expired listing in his target market.

That’s not, of course, to say that direct mail should replace online marketing, or even trump it. It is merely to say that direct mail should be a marketing effort you consider when developing your marketing plan. It should be a tool in your toolbox.

So here’s how to do direct mail right in real estate

1. Get personal.
A number of years ago the direct marketing magazine Direct published a case study highlighting the importance of personalization. The profiled company, Atlantic Broadband, saw 10% response rates on its letter mailings, which offered current or recently lapsed customers cross-sell and up sell opportunities. (A 10% response to a mailing is absolutely huge – 2% is considered quite good.) A number of factorscontribute to the company’s success:
• Customized lifestyle-based intro
• Signature variations (regional or home office executive)
• Customized P.S. area
• Different products and benefits from template, triggered by region or lifestyle
• Image variations in customized order box

2. Get frequent.
Reaching out and touching your prospects – with a letter, a postcard, or an e-mail – will help you close the deal if you reach out and touch them often. Consider:
• Only 2% of sales are made on the first contact
• Only 3% of sales are made on the second contact
• A mere 5% of sales are made on the third contact
• Just 10% of sales are made on the fourth contact
• An amazing 80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact

3. Go big. In direct mail – as in every kind of real estate marketing, really – you’ll only succeed as far as you stand out. One way to stand out in direct mail is to be bigger than all the other mail in the box. If you’re mailing a letter in an envelope, consider using a 6 x 9. If you’re mailing a postcard, try
the “colossal” size, which is 6 x 11 rather than the standard 4 ¼ x 6 or “jumbo” 6 x 8 ½. Colossal and jumbo postcards have proven to generate more responses than smaller ones. Why? Because they stand out.

Check out how we can help with your direct mail, including postcards, letters, and newsletters. To see examples of direct mail pieces that have worked for other real estate agents, check out our real estate marketing portfolio.

And for more tips on succeeding with direct mail, check out Part III of our E-book How to Win: Marketing Strategies for Successful – and Aspiring – Real Estate Agents.

Learn More/Get in Touch
Website: www.CMRealEstateMarketing.com

E-mail: molly@cmrealestatemarketing.com

Telephone: 480–987–7958